A revision of the Australian intertidal water beetle genus Hughleechia Perkins (Coleoptera: Hydraenidae) Author Perkins, Philip D. text Zootaxa 2007 1527 17 29 journal article 10.5281/zenodo.177584 c64bb094-8a87-4f11-b28d-282dea53fa07 1175-5326 177584 Hughleechia giulianii Perkins ( Figs. 1 , 3 , 5 , 7–9 , 14 ) Hughleechia giulianii Perkins, 1981 : 300 . Type Material. Holotype (male): AUSTRALIA : Western Australia : Fisherman’s Island , 30° 7' S , 114° 56' E , 28 April 1969 , D. D. Giuliani. Deposited in the WAM . Differential Diagnosis. Immediately differentiated from H. gracilis by the broader body form ( Figs. 1 , 2 ), larger size, sexual characters of males, and other features (see diagnosis of H. gracilis ). Description. Size (length/width, mm), holotype : body 1.80/0.84; head 0.36/0.46; pronotum 0.46/0.60; elytra 1.08/0.84. Dorsum black, infrequently with faint metallic blue reflections; venter and legs dark brown. Frons strongly granulose, sparsely pubescent at sides; interocular foveae oblique impressed lines, area between foveae flat; interocular tuberculi well developed, adjacent to posteromedian margin of eyes, sparsely setose. Frontoclypeal suture very shallowly bisinuate. Clypeus length 1/2 width, less strongly granulose and hence more reflective than frons, sparsely punctate; apicomedian margin upturned to form a blunt tooth. Labroclypeal suture weakly arcuate. Labrum length 1/2 width; apicomedian emargination well developed, hemispherical, at each side of which is a distinctive tooth; surface of labrum smooth and shiny. Maxillary palpus with penultimate segment moderately wide; ultimate segment tapering to apex, 3/4 length of penultimate. Mentum produced at side, shiny, very sparsely punctate. Submentum shiny. Genae swollen in midregion, shiny, finely sparsely punctulate. Postgena pubescent, punctulate. Pronotum sparsely pubescent on reliefs; depressions granulose, reliefs punctate and less strongly granulose, hence more reflective than depressions; anterior margin weakly arcuate, with narrow hyaline border; sides rather strongly convergent from midlength; posterior margin with narrow hyaline border which is overlaid with a row of setae; median depression without setae, slightly constricted in midlength, anterior 1/2 more strongly granulose than posterior 1/2; a shallow depression on each side at base which connects to base of median depression, these oblique depressions with pubescence like that on reliefs; lateral fossulae well developed. FIGURE 1. Hughleechia giulianii , holotype. Dorsal and lateral habitus. FIGURE 2. Hughleechia gracilis , holotype. Dorsal and lateral habitus. Elytra interlocked, distinctly declivous in apical 1/4; each elytron with five distinct discal rows of punctures, and three semi-serial rows laterally, some punctures confluent in basal 1/5, each puncture with a short, stiff, rather wide, recumbent seta; suture very slightly raised. Explanate margin moderately wide. Prosternum evenly rounded in midregion, antennal fossulae well developed; coxae contiguous. Mesoventrite pubescent, with broad intercoxal process whose width at apex is about equal to length of last segment of maxillary palpus; carinae totally lacking, not even with remnants anteriorly. Metaventrite hydrofuge pubescent except for shiny triangular area in midregion which has only a few setae; intercoxal process broad, about equal in length and width to mesoventral intercoxal process, but with apex on a plane slightly higher than that of latter; posteromedian area between metacoxae broadly emarginate to receive intercoxal sternite. FIGURES 3–4. Hughleechia , aedeagi of holotypes. —3. H. giulianii . —4. H. gracilis . Abdominal sternites 1–4 with hydrofuge pubescence laterally, pubescence much sparser on large medial area; sternite 5 entirely hydrofuge pubescent. Legs moderately long and slender. Tarsi broadened apically, claws large. Segment 5 (last) of all tarsi longer than respective basal segments combined. Segment 4 slightly shorter than combined lengths of segments 1–3. Aedeagus ( Fig. 3 ) with parameres originating near midlength of main piece. Females slightly larger than males. FIGURES 5–6. Hughleechia , elytron punctation pattern and microsculpture detail. —5. H. giulianii . —6. H. gracilis . Distribution. Currently known from intertidal rocks and rock pools on the southwestern and southern coasts of Australia ( Fig. 14 ). Material examined ( 82 specimens ). AUSTRALIA : New South Wales : Green Cape, rock crevices, 37° 15' S , 150° 3' E , 8 August 1968 , D. D. Giuliani (5 WAM ); South Australia : Point Sinclair, 32° 6' S , 132° 59' E , 18 November 1969 , D. D. Giuliani (site 60) (2 SAM ); Western Australia : 50 mi . S Dongara, rock crevices, 29° 20' S , 114° 55' E , 4 April 1969 , D. D. Giuliani (5 WAM ); Bald Head, Albany, rock crevices, 35° 6' S , 118° 1' E , 10 May 1969 , D. D. Giuliani (10 WAM ); Cape Naturalist, rock crevices, 33° 32' S , 115° 1' E , 30 October 1969 , D. D. Giuliani (10 ANIC ); Fisherman’s Island , rock crevices covered by high tides, dry rock crevices in the high tide splash zone, and usually most numerously in rock pools a few feet above the water line (created by splash and spray but seldom or never reached by waves), 30° 7' S , 114° 56' E , 28 April 1969 , D. D. Giuliani (12 WAM ); Little Anchorage, rock crevices, 30° 0' S , 114° 58' E , 24 April 1969 , D. D. Giuliani (12 WAM ); Peron Point nr. Rockingham, rock crevices, 32° 16' S , 115° 41' E , 28 September 1969 , D. D. Giuliani (10 ANIC ); Rottnest Island, rock crevices, beaches and points, 32° 0' S , 115° 36' E , 3 May 1969 , D. D. Giuliani (10 WAM ); small island just offshore of Little Anchorage, rock crevices, 30° 0' S , 114° 58' E , 25 April 1969 , D. D. Giuliani (5 WAM ).